Help with selecting a new DAM program
Apr 21, 2021 12:50:03 #
Leitz
Loc: Solms
CHG_CANON wrote:
Google: what is dam
Google was my first thought, but all it brought up was beaver, Hoover, and Three Gorges. But thank you for trying to be helpful.
Apr 21, 2021 12:54:27 #
Leitz
Loc: Solms
Pytrouble wrote:
It is a cataloging, organizing system that allows you to import your photos, review and rate them, add keywords for searching, etc. It generally will mirror your hard drive photo organization. For example, in Lightroom, if you move a photo from one folder to another that move will also be reflected on your hard drive. Hope this helps.
I appreciate the explanation. Never would have thought about artificial imaging.
Apr 21, 2021 13:07:49 #
Apr 21, 2021 13:15:16 #
DWU2 wrote:
Because it's sometimes false economy if you don't ... (show quote)
I understand software life cycles and the economy of software development. I never said paying for software is bad. I simply provided a 'well documented', and well established alternative without bashing the competitors. The stigma around open source (not free) software has it's merits, just as there is really bad and poorly maintained paid-for software out there. And just like the commercial software side, if a program is poorly coded, not maintained, and support is lacking, it will simply not survive. But, just like commercial software, if development is strong, the devs are active in the forums that users use (there are many devs that do this), and the coding isn't a train wreck at release, it will do well and prosper for many years.
Again....There is nothing wrong with paid software. But there are options out there if it meets the users needs.
OP wrote:
For the last couple of years I've been using it m... (show quote)
I may have misinterpreted, but the OP wanted other solutions.
Apr 21, 2021 14:02:12 #
pego101 wrote:
I don't get the dam analogy?
Digital Asset Management.
Apr 21, 2021 14:18:15 #
Hi, ACDsee has, in my opinion, a very good DAM. When compared to what's in the market, it is, in my opinion, the best.
I run a Windows system, so you may need to investigate if my experience replicates in Apple systems.
I run a Windows system, so you may need to investigate if my experience replicates in Apple systems.
Apr 21, 2021 14:33:33 #
Apr 21, 2021 14:38:19 #
You might check out DarkTable. It is open-source software (free). I haven't used it much, but the interface and workflow seem very similar to LightRoom.
Since it is free, there is no downside to trying it out.
First release was 2009 and last update was four months ago. So it has been around for a while and has active development.
Since it is free, there is no downside to trying it out.
First release was 2009 and last update was four months ago. So it has been around for a while and has active development.
Apr 21, 2021 16:40:10 #
Personally, you are on the right track. There are quite a few free DAM applications out there. You’ll just have to search and assess which one best suits your needs.
—Bob
—Bob
Pytrouble wrote:
Hello Hoggers: br I work on a Mac and had been usi... (show quote)
Apr 21, 2021 19:55:01 #
Apr 21, 2021 20:08:17 #
johngault007 wrote:
$10 per month 
To some, that's a lot, and to others, it's a drop of water in the proverbial bucket. But why incur a recurring cost for something that is available for one-time purchase or even no cost?
To some, that's a lot, and to others, it's a drop of water in the proverbial bucket. But why incur a recurring cost for something that is available for one-time purchase or even no cost?
I always find it amusing that we have, what camera gear worth somewhere upstairs of $15,000 at our disposal, will drop $1500 on a new lens, but $10/month for world-class software is too much?
And, yes there's freeware out there, but you get what you pay for.
Apr 21, 2021 21:16:32 #
rgrenaderphoto wrote:
I always find it amusing that we have, what camera gear worth somewhere upstairs of $15,000 at our disposal, will drop $1500 on a new lens, but $10/month for world-class software is too much?
And, yes there's freeware out there, but you get what you pay for.
And, yes there's freeware out there, but you get what you pay for.
I wish you would consider that not everybody has or can afford equipment with the price tags you quoted.
I wonder what percentage of the UHH membership will actually "drop $1500 on a new lens"......
Apr 21, 2021 21:18:55 #
Every single day we have at least one member who proposes the $3000 Nikon D850 to any and all photography problems ...
Apr 21, 2021 23:13:54 #
rgrenaderphoto wrote:
I always find it amusing that we have, what camera gear worth somewhere upstairs of $15,000 at our disposal, will drop $1500 on a new lens, but $10/month for world-class software is too much?
And, yes there's freeware out there, but you get what you pay for.
And, yes there's freeware out there, but you get what you pay for.
Freeware and Open Source are not always one in the same...but that is just semantics.
I always find it amusing that people think open source is all about free sh#t and don't realize that some of those people that spend $15,000 or so on gear actually have other interests like software development. And they provide that development as a hobby to contribute to a community and don't have to rip on users that "pay" for their software.
I can't run "world-class" software natively on Linux and have no desire to fire up a VM or dual boot my system to run that software. In the end, it's the person using the software that makes the end result "world-class" and not the software. I've seen absolutely beautiful work AND also complete train wrecks of photographs from all software. Because at the end of the day, it's the person behind the keyboard and mouse using their butt hole ticklers that makes the final result.
But you do you Boo! I won't judge you for your choices, and just ask the same in return.
Apr 22, 2021 03:31:59 #
Poppirazzi
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
I'm new here and this is my first post. I have been using Adobe Photoshop Elements for my DAM needs and have used every version since Elements 3. The current version, Elements 2021, is version 19. So, it has actually been around a lot longer than Lightroom. The Elements Organizer, which is the program that handles the media catalog, has been one of my favorite programs, so I am definitely a fanboy. I currently have over 200k photo and video files in my catalog, and I can generally find any photo I am looking for within seconds. I highly recommend it.
Many of the current features are controlled by AI which seems to improve each year. But even though much of the media analysis is performed automatically, the program still requires some effort by the user in order to take full advantage of all it has to offer.
Face recognition is excellent and the latest version also conducts face recognition on videos. Keyword tagging is also easy to apply and flexible. I don't use geo-tagging but if your images have geo metadata, there are aids to place your photos on a map. The program also provides analysis to identify Events for tagging. However, perhaps the best search feature is the smart tags that are applied to each image. The AI has become so good that it almost eliminates the need to create keyword tags for your media. Search for "flower" and all of your flower images will be displayed. Add "yellow" to your search term and the results will be narrowed down accordingly. The automatic search vocabulary is quite extensive and I don't think I have ever been able to stump it. Of course, if you have specialized tagging needs, the program is very flexible.
Although you say you don't want to learn Photoshop, the Elements version is a fairly powerful editor. Although, I have an Adobe Photoshop CC subscription, I would say that 90% of my editing takes place in Photoshop Elements. For those who don't want a subscription, Elements is an excellent alternative. And, yes, a single-payment license does not last forever. But, I am active on the Elements community forums and I see many users who are still happy using their 8 or 9 year old software versions. Mac is a slightly different story because of all the hardware and software changes that Apple has introduced over the past couple of years which has required users to update their Adobe software.
One final point: if you want to use a different editing software, the Organizer makes it very easy to send images from the catalog to your chosen editor. Many external editors can also be used as a plug-in to Photoshop Elements.
If you are interested in trying it out, there is a 30 day free trial available: https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements/download-trial/try.html.
Added: Like I said, I'm new here so didn't see that this was a multiple page discussion that has been going on for a while.
Many of the current features are controlled by AI which seems to improve each year. But even though much of the media analysis is performed automatically, the program still requires some effort by the user in order to take full advantage of all it has to offer.
Face recognition is excellent and the latest version also conducts face recognition on videos. Keyword tagging is also easy to apply and flexible. I don't use geo-tagging but if your images have geo metadata, there are aids to place your photos on a map. The program also provides analysis to identify Events for tagging. However, perhaps the best search feature is the smart tags that are applied to each image. The AI has become so good that it almost eliminates the need to create keyword tags for your media. Search for "flower" and all of your flower images will be displayed. Add "yellow" to your search term and the results will be narrowed down accordingly. The automatic search vocabulary is quite extensive and I don't think I have ever been able to stump it. Of course, if you have specialized tagging needs, the program is very flexible.
Although you say you don't want to learn Photoshop, the Elements version is a fairly powerful editor. Although, I have an Adobe Photoshop CC subscription, I would say that 90% of my editing takes place in Photoshop Elements. For those who don't want a subscription, Elements is an excellent alternative. And, yes, a single-payment license does not last forever. But, I am active on the Elements community forums and I see many users who are still happy using their 8 or 9 year old software versions. Mac is a slightly different story because of all the hardware and software changes that Apple has introduced over the past couple of years which has required users to update their Adobe software.
One final point: if you want to use a different editing software, the Organizer makes it very easy to send images from the catalog to your chosen editor. Many external editors can also be used as a plug-in to Photoshop Elements.
If you are interested in trying it out, there is a 30 day free trial available: https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements/download-trial/try.html.
Added: Like I said, I'm new here so didn't see that this was a multiple page discussion that has been going on for a while.
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